WEDNESDAY UPDATES: Boone County active cases highest since March 21
KMIZ
The Columbia/Boone County Department of Public Health and Human Services is reporting 23 new COVID-19 cases.
There are currently 87 active cases in the county, an 18 case increase from Tuesday.
The county now has a reported total number of COVID-19 cases of 17,994.
The county has reported the total number of cases removed from isolation is 17,822.
The county continues to trend down as there have been 69 straight days of single or double-digit case increases.
The State of Missouri coronavirus vaccine dashboard is reporting that 65,327 residents have received their first dose in Boone County.
TUESDAY UPDATES: South African coronavirus variant found in adult living in Jackson County
ABC 17 News
The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services is reporting the first confirmation of the South African coronavirus variant in the state was found in a Jackson County resident.
Officials confirmed the variant through the whole genome sequencing conducted through a commercial laboratory.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shows 374 cases of the South African variant have been reported to the CDC in the United States as of April 5.
Officials report this variant is not known to cause more severe disease and it is not clear whether it spreads more readily than other strains. Although this strain can reduce the effectiveness of some vaccines, vaccines still provide strong protection against severe illness and death.
WEDNESDAY UPDATES: State health department reports 400+ new COVID-19 cases abc17news.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from abc17news.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
TUESDAY UPDATES: Health officials administer nearly 5 million PCR tests in Missouri
As of Tuesday s COVID-19 dashboard update, nearly 5 million PCR tests have been administered in Missouri since the pandemic started.
The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services said 4.96 million tests have been given out with at least 11% coming back positive, according to the dashboard.
The data said health officials averaged about 4,500 tests every day over the week ending on Saturday.
Health officials have performed a total of 6.3 million tests the number includes PCR, antigen and serology tests. PCR and antigen tests are both used to determine if a person has a case of COVID-19. Serology tests are used only to find out if someone has COVID-19 antibodies.
Boone County leaders schedule public hearings to discuss wind farm regulations
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
Boone County leaders have scheduled public hearings for wind farm regulations that could go into effect later this year.
The regulations create rules on how wind farm projects will be approved, operated and where they will be placed.
Each of the Meetings is scheduled to start at 6:30 p.m.
The second public hearing will be held on April 20 in the Harrisburg High School gymnasium the third will happen on the 29th and be held in the Southern Boone School District central office.
Boone County Resource Management Director Bill Florea said the rules will streamline the process of setting up the turbines.